Week one

Laying the foundation....

Oh boy...here we go again, semester 2. It is often overlooked, but the first week sets the tone for the rest of the semester. The first week is when our calendars are usually the most vulnerable! Think carefully about what you put in there. Remember, garbage in, garbage out.

So fill it only with activities that support the identity you would like to build—to be that one guy or girl in class that is always on top of their work and passes everything!

Its starts with the vision, good grades, not falling behind on assignments etc.; these are by-products of a good system. At the end of this post are some good videos to get you thinking about creating a system that works for you!

While you work on your system, here are some Week 1 gotchas to look out for

• Ensure that your registration is complete
  (web registering is not enough - you have to pay them fees $$$)

• Create a digital calendar that syncs with your phone. My go-to is google calendar. Put your class schedule on this, with some reminders, so you never miss a class again. Google Calendar also has a daily agenda feature. This gives you a list of all your events for the day in one simple email.

• Make time to read all your course outlines. Make sure you can access the recommended resources.

• Ask about any additional resources you might for the semester to be successful in the course. Sometimes the course outlines are not updated with the latest tips, tricks and tech.

• Ask and install any software you might need for your courses. If you cannot run the software on your device, ensure you spend the time now (rather than 2 days before an assignment) to figure out how to access the software you need. This might mean hunting around in computer labs, cross-referencing free time in the lab schedule with your class schedule etc. Ask your course lecturer or TA for advice on how to get time with the software you need. You can use your calendar to remind you to visit the computer lab.

• Block off your lecturer’s and TA’s office hours in your calendar where possible. The idea is to keep that time available to you should you need extra support. Also, it does not hurt to swing by to clarify things now (rather than 1 day before the exam)

• In your calendar for each course, schedule time to work on assignments and read for the course. Although you may not get assignments until week 3, making the time and getting yourself into the habit of doing assignments will go a long way.

• Schedule playtime! We are not robots (yet), so we all need that precious downtime. The trick is to remember not to overdo it. Blocking off and sticking to the time on your calendar ensures you get that precious R&R while not derailing your plans